10-30-2005, 12:34 PM
[cool][size 1][#0000ff]Had a few BFTers show at Yuba State Park this morning. TubeBabe and I cruised in just before 6:30 and found Carp_Punisher and fishluvr already there, but waiting for more light to give them a clue as to where to fish. Very dark and quite a bit of fog. Air temp 37 and water temp 54 at launch...7:30 AM.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Princefisher showed up just before TubeBabe and I launched off the ramp and left to fish the rocks near the dam. CP and FL drove off to join them before the tubers were launched. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I figured I would avoid the bank fishing contingent so I started casting to the east of the launch. TubeBabe went toward the dam, casting along the shoreline between the ramp and the dam.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I had a couple of light taps and had a small perch to the top before it shook loose. Didn't see any evidence of active trout, so thought I would try kicking across the lake and fishing the other side, without going to the dam first. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]MAN...that is a long kick. Took me almost an hour to to get there. As I kicked and kicked, I listened to TubeBabe announce over the walkie talkie that she had landed a 21" northern pike...and then lost a big rainbow. SURE. CP announced that fishluvr had scored a nice rainbow, and that he (CP) had bagged a 10" perch.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As I kicked across the lake, I watched the sonar. There was a long stretch of 54 foot deep water and there were a lot of fish marks from 20 foot on down. Large, medium and small. Looked like tons of bait an lots of predators keeping them company. But, I fished a wide variety of lures and baits, from top to bottom without a nudge. I guess the fluctuating weather had the fish suspended and inactive.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Finally reached the other side. Saw some ripples of minnows on top. First cast hooked a rocket rainbow that streaked off about 20 yards and then rolled and came unbuttoned. About the fourth cast I hooked another rainbow that went airborne and flipped the spinner back at me before it hit the water.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The smell of skunk was getting stronger. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That was about 9 AM. I fished all around the dam area for the next two hours with only a couple of light taps...probably perchettes. On my final leg back to the car, casting halfheartedly with a new pink headed Roadrunner, I hooked up right in front of a fisheries officer on the bank. He claimed credit for bringing me luck. Finally netted my only trout for the day...a 19" 3# male bow. Pretty colors and what a fight. Took me over five minutes to coax it into the net.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That was at 11:30. Clouds were starting to come in from the west. It started to sprinkle as CP and fishluvr loaded up to leave. Princefisher was not too far behind them. TubeBabe and I got soaked before we could get the tubes loaded in the car.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Man, that was a marathon tubing trip. I haven't covered that much water in a long time...and for one rainbow. I'm gettin' too old for that stuff.[/#0000ff] [/size]
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[#0000ff]Princefisher showed up just before TubeBabe and I launched off the ramp and left to fish the rocks near the dam. CP and FL drove off to join them before the tubers were launched. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I figured I would avoid the bank fishing contingent so I started casting to the east of the launch. TubeBabe went toward the dam, casting along the shoreline between the ramp and the dam.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I had a couple of light taps and had a small perch to the top before it shook loose. Didn't see any evidence of active trout, so thought I would try kicking across the lake and fishing the other side, without going to the dam first. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]MAN...that is a long kick. Took me almost an hour to to get there. As I kicked and kicked, I listened to TubeBabe announce over the walkie talkie that she had landed a 21" northern pike...and then lost a big rainbow. SURE. CP announced that fishluvr had scored a nice rainbow, and that he (CP) had bagged a 10" perch.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As I kicked across the lake, I watched the sonar. There was a long stretch of 54 foot deep water and there were a lot of fish marks from 20 foot on down. Large, medium and small. Looked like tons of bait an lots of predators keeping them company. But, I fished a wide variety of lures and baits, from top to bottom without a nudge. I guess the fluctuating weather had the fish suspended and inactive.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Finally reached the other side. Saw some ripples of minnows on top. First cast hooked a rocket rainbow that streaked off about 20 yards and then rolled and came unbuttoned. About the fourth cast I hooked another rainbow that went airborne and flipped the spinner back at me before it hit the water.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The smell of skunk was getting stronger. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]That was about 9 AM. I fished all around the dam area for the next two hours with only a couple of light taps...probably perchettes. On my final leg back to the car, casting halfheartedly with a new pink headed Roadrunner, I hooked up right in front of a fisheries officer on the bank. He claimed credit for bringing me luck. Finally netted my only trout for the day...a 19" 3# male bow. Pretty colors and what a fight. Took me over five minutes to coax it into the net.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]That was at 11:30. Clouds were starting to come in from the west. It started to sprinkle as CP and fishluvr loaded up to leave. Princefisher was not too far behind them. TubeBabe and I got soaked before we could get the tubes loaded in the car.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Man, that was a marathon tubing trip. I haven't covered that much water in a long time...and for one rainbow. I'm gettin' too old for that stuff.[/#0000ff] [/size]
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